The NOCCA Foundation and The Meraux Foundation present the 2026 ART&SOUL Gala on May 16
Musical guests include New Breed Brass Band, Sweet Crude and NOCCA All-Star Legends, plus food, portraits, poetry, and more music by NOCCA students
Event proceeds benefit the NOCCA Foundation’s mission to invest in young artists, their mentors, alumni and the community
Tickets, sponsorships, our silent auction, and more now available at ArtandSoulNOCCA.com!
The NOCCA Foundation and The Meraux Foundation are proud to present the 2026 ART&SOUL gala on Saturday, May 16 at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (2800 Chartres Street, New Orleans). The evening will feature live entertainment from New Breed Brass Band, Sweet Crude, and the NOCCA All-Star Legends, plus live entertainment by current NOCCA Music students, food from NOCCA’s Culinary Arts students and faculty (plus some of your favorite chefs and restaurants), a silent auction and much more. The event will also offer creative on-site experiences by NOCCA students including portraits drawn by Visual Arts students and improv poetry penned by students in NOCCA’s Creative Writing program.
Tickets to the event are now available at ArtAndSoulNOCCA.com, with proceeds directly supporting the NOCCA Foundation and its initiatives for NOCCA students, their teachers, alumni and the community.
“ART&SOUL is a cherished opportunity to celebrate NOCCA’s many successes with our supporters and our campus family,” said Shanekah Johnson, Executive Director of the NOCCA Foundation. “As always, NOCCA students and alumni will be front and center throughout the evening, performing on stage, drawing portraits and writing poems for guests, and of course, preparing a magnificent dinner. NOCCA has become the gold-standard of arts education in America, and this is our way of thanking our community for making that happen.”
This year’s theme is “Tomorrow Starts Here,” a nod to the work that NOCCA and the Foundation are doing to plan for the school’s next 50 years. Attire is dressy but festive, generally what we call “jazzy casual”: summer suits, breezy dresses, or just a nice pair of pants and a snappy shirt. That said, we do have theme colors this year: blue, silver, and white. Come in cool white linen, blue-striped seersucker, a sparkly silver jumpsuit or anything else — as long as it leaves you plenty of room to dance!
- Click here for sponsorship options, including tables, tickets and patron party access. *please submit by March 21 to be included on the official ART&SOUL invitation.
- Patron Party: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
- Gala: 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm.
- Alumni After-Party: 10:00pm – 12:00am
- Tickets:
- $250 / Patron Party, with a pre-gala party from 6:00pm – 7:30pm featuring a special performance by Sweet Crude, plus early access to our art-filled silent auction and admission to the gala from 7:30pm – 10:00pm.
- $100 / Gala, from 7:30pm-10pm, with performances by the NOCCA All-Star Legends and New Breed Brass Band, a sprawling buffet prepared by NOCCA Culinary Arts students and faculty, and drinks provided by Sazerac/Goldring Family Foundation.
- $50 NOCCA Alumni Ticket /access to the Gala. Limited availability!
- Click here to donate to our silent auction.
NOCCA, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, is known around the world for its dedicated faculty and long list of accomplished alumni, including Jon Batiste, Harry Connick Jr., Jeanne Michele Charbonnet, Wynton Marsalis, Trombone Shorty, Wendell Pierce and many more. Today, the school offers students intensive instruction in culinary arts, dance, media arts (filmmaking and audio production), music (classical, jazz, vocal), theatre arts (drama, musical theatre, theatre design), visual arts and creative writing, all while demanding simultaneous academic excellence. Every year, 95 – 98% of NOCCA graduates attend college and conservatory programs across the country, with almost 80% of students receiving scholarships.
The NOCCA Foundation champions the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, investing in young artists, their mentors, alumni and the community through programs that encourage educational excellence and artistic innovation. The Foundation’s Student Support program and its longstanding Artists-in-Residence program have helped make NOCCA the gold standard of arts education in Louisiana and around the globe. The Foundation also oversees rentals of the NOCCA campus, making it available to arts organizations, individuals, corporations and additional community or business groups.
ART&SOUL 2026 is co-chaired by Janice and Phillip Manuel, Katie and Adam Matasar, and Claire Elizabeth Thriffiley and H. Allen Johnson. Major sponsors include The Meraux Foundation, Entergy, the Holt Family Foundation, Imagine Recovery, Hancock Whitney Bank, Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, and Sazerac/Goldring Family Foundation,.
For more information on the 2026 ART&SOUL Gala and to purchase tickets to the event, visit ArtAndSoulNOCCA.com. For additional details on The NOCCA Foundation and how you can show your support, please visit NOCCAFoundation.org.
ART&SOUL 2026 CO-CHAIRS
Janice and Phillip Manuel
Katie and Adam Matasar
Claire Elizabeth Thriffiley and H. Allen Johnson
ART&SOUL 2026 COMMITTEE
Anna Donnell
Ashley Floyd
Trista Friloux
Ulla Gaudin
Ashly McCord
PJ Morton
Kristin Shannon
Stephen Stryjewski
Regine Villain
Emily Wolfe